It seems fitting Fesenko, 25, soon could be in charge of getting himself around. After five mostly nondescript seasons with the Jazz and Pacers in which he became known as much for his humorous locker room presence as his on-court contributions, Fesenko is getting serious.

Well, at least in the moments he isn't sticking his hairbrush into the phalanx of microphones surrounding Kirk Hinrich after a recent game.

"Don't get me wrong: I will never, ever stop joking. That's who I am," Fesenko said. "But now, I just understand more when to joke. When it's time to do hard work and when it's time to have fun.

"In that case, I really adore Coach Thibs (Tom Thibodeau). He's really hard on us. But when we have a water break, he's OK to crack a couple of jokes. It's pretty cool. I'm watching him and trying to absorb everything I can. A defensive-minded player and a defensive-minded coach, what could be better for me?"

The fifth Ukrainian to make the NBA, Fesenko has averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.2 minutes over 135 career games. At 7 feet 1 and 280 pounds, he is deceptively mobile. Perhaps his best stretch came when he started nine of 10 playoff games for the Jazz in 2010.

"He's a little bit more mature now," said Carlos Boozer, a teammate of his then. "He's still very athletic. Great locker room guy. Great sense of humor. Huge body. Very wide but moves well with his weight. He can help us."

Whether he will depends on which direction the Bulls take when their cap situation allows the signing of a 14th player in late November. Fifth big man in Fesenko? More perimeter help in Marko Jaric? Another direction?

It's clear Fesenko already is a popular teammate. Hinrich called him "my guy." Fesenko hopes to have a lasting impact.

"I have re-thought a lot of valuable values in my life," he said. "To have a chance to play for the legendary Bulls, the only team everybody knows in the Ukraine, is really a gift. I'm willing to go the extra mile, to do whatever it takes to make it.

"To this point, my career was preparation for something big. Maybe this will be my big year."

Layups: Thibodeau said his rotation for Friday night's exhibition against the Cavaliers at Assembly Hall in Champaign will be similar to the preseason opener in which no starter played more than 24 minutes. "Our starting group has to learn how to play together," he said. "Our bench has to learn how to play together." … The Bulls finish a back-to-back Saturday night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. "That prepares you for what's going to happen during the season, so I do like that," Thibodeau said.